Prep Hoops Roundup: Freeport earns big NIC-10 win

Saturday

Jan 11, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Rockford Register Star

FREEPORT - Freeport defeated the last remaining undefeated NIC-10 boys basketball team on Friday. Pretzels guard Giovanni Offard hit a pullup jumper from the free-throw line with 40 seconds left to lift Freeport to a 45-44 victory over Hononegah.

"I give all the credit to my teammates and to my coach," Offard said. "They've been telling me the whole season I'm a point guard and I've got to distribute the ball to my teammates and get them open, but at the end of the game, it's my time to take over."

Freeport (5-8, 2-3 NIC-10) trailed 13-12 after one quarter, but led 26-21 at halftime. The Pretzels did not trail again until Hononegah took that late one-point lead, but Offard put the Pretzels back in front and they deflected a pass that threw off a game-winning 3-point try by Hononegah (9-5, 5-1) at the buzzer. Offard and Marcus Fitzpatrick each scored 11 points and DeJuan Jones had 10 off the bench.

Guilford 77, Harlem 76: Sedrick Jones Jr. went scoreless in the first quarter, but exploded thereafter, scoring 25 points in the Vikings' win. Harlem led 51-46 after three quarters, but the Vikings rallied in the final frame. Jones scored 13 points of his team's 31 points to outdistance the Huskies.

Alex Karbarz scored 22 points to lead Harlem.

Girls

East 55, Jefferson 30: Coriesha Bailey scored a game-high 24 points to lead E-Rabs, who led 25-16 at halftime.

Hononegah 83, Freeport 39: The Indians blitzed Freeport from the start to remain perfect at 6-0 in NIC-10 conference play. Tiana Thomas led the Indians with 14 points. Haley Kershner added 12, all coming on her four 3-pointers.

Forreston 54, A-FC 41: Emily Edler and MacKenzie Heinz each scored 11 points to lead the Cardinals in the win. Allison Prestgaard had 12 points in the loss.